Forensic Aspects of Homicides by Insulin Overdose

Insulin is a hormone which regulates glucose concentration. It consists of two peptide chains (A and B chains) which are connected by a disulfide bond. The molecular weight of insulin is 5807.69. The plasma half-life of insulin is short, approximately 4 –6min [1–4]. Proinsulin molecules also consist of two chains along with a connecting peptide (C-peptide) before secretion. Equimolar amounts of C-peptide and insulin will be released into circulation when insulin is secreted following hyperglycemia [5–8].

Source: Forensic Science International - June 20, 2017 Category: Forensic Medicine Authors: Fang Tong, Rongqi Wu, Wen Huang, Yi Yang, Lin Zhang, Biao Zhang, Xin Chen, Xiaohui Tang, Yiwu Zhou Source Type: research